Better off Forgotten
by Shadewolf7
Summary: A miscalculation on Soubi's part sends him and Ritsuka to another dimension.
1. Chapter 1

_Loveless and its characters are not mine._

_Better off Forgotten_

This—this was not something he had expected. Heartless' attack was strong—too strong for what power he sensed from the pair—and Soubi knew his counter came too late.

He had expected the chains that locked on wrists and throat, binding himself and his little Sacrifice hard enough to make both bleed, no matter that he had tried to take the brunt of the blow for Ritsuka's sake. No, what he had not expected was the overwhelming crash of power when his defense collided with the other Fighter's attack—the crash of power that rebounded and headed straight for the kit—

Soubi lunged, too late, as the power wrapped around Ritsuka and the boy's voice rose in a startled cry, then there was a jerk against the chains that bound Soubi to his Sacrifice and everything was covered in blue-white _power._

_xxxx_

Artemis Fowl was mildly bored as he and Butler, his giant bodyguard, wandered the ruins of Stonehenge. Only mildly because he knew this had once been a fairy transport terminal—the pale boy would have been _very_ bored if it hadn't had something to do with the Fey Folk.

With his mother's mental health improved, she wanted to take him on a vacation, just the two of them—well, and Butler.

He had expressed desire to see the ancient stone circle when they stopped in a village nearby, but his mother wasn't feeling up to walking up the trail to the ruins, so Butler had followed his young master into the circle, not thinking that anything would happen, but always one to practice 'better safe than sorry'.

He found himself glad that he had come (he'd formed an attachment to his charge—taboo amongst Butlers) when the stones started to crackle with energy.

Lightning shot out from the stones to the middle of the circle, _nothing_ like what Holly had described—

And coalesced into two figures, bound with glowing chains, that smashed into the ground in the center of the circle.

Humanoid, Artemis noted, and those chains were covered in—or made from—some kind of magic. He couldn't see the smaller one clearly, but the larger was struggling to his feet, brownish-blond hair falling loose around his face as he cast a dismissing glance in Artemis' direction, cataloging both himself and Butler as things to be dealt with when the need arose, no sooner.

"Ritsuka!" the man fell to one knee beside the other form on the ground, a black-haired boy lying limp on the grass.

Artemis exchanged a glance with his bodyguard—what was going on?

"Ritsuka," the man repeated, less sharp, more pained. He lifted one of the chains that bound him to the child—only then did Artemis notice that the chains he'd seen bound the two together by throat and wrists, the magicked metal obviously sharp, according to the blood that trickled beneath manacles and collar. The man _glared_ at the chain and murmured something sharp and forceful—and the glowing chains shattered and dissipated.

That was not Fairy magic. In point of fact, Artemis had never heard of such a thing.

He set his musings aside to watch when the black-haired boy stirred, something flicking on his head before his face scrunched up and he made a low sound in his throat.

Wait. Were those… cat ears?

"Ritsuka," the man said again, voice low and soothing, and the boy opened startlingly amethyst eyes.

"Sou… bi?" It came out as a question.

The man nodded, brushing black bangs away from the boy's face and rubbing between the cat ears on his head.

A black tail lashed and the boy sat up, pushing the hand away and glaring, snapping something in what sounded like Japanese too fast for Artemis to catch. He knew Japanese—it was a major business language, after all—but was far from fluent, having to mentally translate the words into English before piecing the sentences together.

The blue-eyed man gave a small, relieved smile and replied, only slightly slower. "Yes, Master."

Artemis blinked. That particular form of address _was_ used in Japan, by a servant to a master, one of the language quirks picked up from English. Odd that the man was addressing someone who appeared to be of the Fey sort as a master.

°What happened?° the boy asked after a moment.

The man shook his head, °Heartless' attack was too strong—too strong for the _Sentoki_ to generate—and my counter did not block it. It rebounded—Restrained us, and sent us here.°

Black ears flattened down into the boy's hair, °I don't like this.°

°I am sorry.°

Artemis found that the only word he didn't recognize was _Sentoki_, whatever that was. He frowned and took another step forward, Butler matching him carefully. He didn't want to have to speak Japanese to these two—just because he _knew_ it didn't mean it was at a level he considered passable. He had, after all, only been learning the language for a few months. With luck, they would speak English.

The movement must have put the man on edge, because suddenly he was standing in front of the boy, one hand slightly outstretched as though to shield the younger one, aquamarine eyes flashing warningly.

Butler stepped in front of Artemis in a similar posture and the man examined the elite bodyguard for several moments before coming to a decision. He visibly relaxed, nodding to the (much) larger man, and turned his attention to Artemis. °You are?°

Hm. The man was smart—he could read the undercurrents and didn't automatically assume that the elder was the one in charge—which might have something to do with the boy slowly standing behind him. "Artemis Fowl—Fowl Artemis, to you. This is Butler."

A slight nod, "English," the man glanced to the boy behind him, "Ritsuka?"

"English is fine," the cat-boy—Ritsuka—stated. "Where are we?"

"Stonehenge, in Great Britain."

Ears tilted back again, and the boy's tail lashed. He stepped up beside his apparent bodyguard, "Soubi?"

The man shook his head, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a pair of glasses that he quickly put on, "I have not heard of a 'Stonehenge', and… my sensei made sure I was well-versed in both geography and world history."

Artemis frowned and opened his mouth, several theories running through his head—none of them good. Interesting possibilities, but not _good._

Before he could say anything, the man—Soubi—straightened up with sharp eyes, pulling off his glasses and tucking them away while drawing the cat-boy close against his side, scanning the area—then his eyes paused.

Artemis turned to look and recognized the heat-shimmer effect of a Fairy under shielding.

He sincerely hoped it was Holly.

"Show yourself," it was a command, the tone as captivating as a Fairy's _mesmer_, and the haze flickered out, revealing a slightly dazed and very shocked LEP Recon officer.

Artemis breathed a sigh of relief—it _was_ Holly, or at least, he thought it was. It was hard to tell under the helmet—before tensing again. Fairies—especially stubborn elven LEP (Lower Elements Police) officers—did _not_ obey the orders of humans unless inside the human's domain. What was going on?

Holly cast a helmeted but clearly angry glance in Artemis' direction before turning her attention to the dark blond man and his eared-and-tailed charge. "How did you…?" It was tribute to her unease that she even asked.

Blue eyes flickered down to meet amethyst, then furry black ears flicked in acknowledgement. The man inclined his head slightly before turning those cold eyes back to the elf. "I am a _Sentoki_—a Fighter," something in his tone made 'Fighter' a title of power. "Words are my weapons and defense."

So… this man was not human. Humans did not possess such magic.

"What are you?" Holly asked.

The man blinked, seeming bemused. "I am human. Like the ones over there," he nodded to Butler and Artemis.

"What of the boy?" Genuine curiosity crept into her voice, tinted with wariness.

Wariness that was apparently well-founded, as the slowly warming blue chilled, "Aoyagi Ritsuka-sama to you, fey creature. He is human."

Artemis was surprised by the double declaration, "But… why does he have ears and a tail?" That sounded amazingly childish to the young genius, but it was the most expedient way to phrase the question.

"He is a child. He will not lose those marks of childhood for some time, yet."

The boy's tail twitched, his ears flattening against his head. °We're… in a parallel dimension, aren't we?°

Artemis took several seconds to translate that and missed the man's reply, but it seemed to be something between confirmation and worry.

"I don't like this," he stated in clear, slightly accented English.

The Fighter nodded agreement, "I am sorry. I should have acted more quickly against Heartless' attack. If Ritsuka wishes it…"

Ears flattened further, if that were possible. "Not until we know more," he said sharply. "I forbid you to try, Soubi. That's an order."

A small smile played about the man's mouth, "Hai."

Ritsuka's tail drooped, slightly, and ears loosened, the boy crumpling against the older male's support.

"Ski diao, Ritsuka," was the response—Artemis didn't recognize the words—and the man scooped the boy up gently, "Rest."

_xxxx_

_I was not the first to come up with this particular type of crossover—I found a Loveless/Fowl crossover and ran with the idea. I hope no one minds, as I'm making it distinctly different from the one I saw… and I don't think that one's been updated for a while. This is my first venture into any sort of writing that includes an even semi-romantic relationship, and that only because it's Cannon, so… you see things off about it, feel free to point them out._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Captain Holly Short was more than a little unnerved by the strange human and his cat-eared charge. More so by the adult—the blonde's voice was more alluring than the strongest _mesmer_. No… not alluring so much as overpowering. The LEP officer had not _desired_ to do as she had been told; she had simply been unable to keep from obeying, her body reacting without her mind's consent.

She had never, _never_ felt that helpless before.

She sent a glance in Artemis' direction, but it seemed that, this time, the criminal genius really _hadn't_ had anything to do with the situation… at least, past being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Holly wanted to ask what they were going to do with the two apparent dimension-travelers, but it was clear that Artemis was thinking.

Interrupting was probably a bad idea.

Instead, she turned her gaze on the blond man and the boy he cradled in his arms where he sat, leaning against one of the fallen stones. He was strange, human but not human, giving off a sense of energy wholly unlike Fairy magic.

He ignored her, though she was certain he was aware of her scrutiny, and settled more comfortably back against the stone, seemingly content to wait for Artemis to come up with a solution.

Then the boy in his arms stirred and everything changed.

The blond shifted, releasing the child quickly at a growled command, though there was reluctance mingled with the relief in his eyes.

The boy sat up, sharp purple eyes scanning the area. His ears pinned back and his tail lashed as he stood, frowning.

The man also stood, murmuring something too soft for Holly to hear, and the boy responded with a glare.

Oddly, this seemed to please the stranger, and he smiled slightly.

Artemis stood, "You are awake. Excellent."

_xxxx_

Ritsuka was _not_ happy. He was confused and somewhat frightened, which made him angry and prone to lashing out. Oddly, when he snapped at Soubi, the man smiled at him, looking relieved.

Which, of course, only confused him more.

Ritsuka scrambled up, ears pinned and tail lashing with agitation. The unfamiliar surroundings had him wanting to stick close to his Fighter, but his stubborn pride rebelled against the idea.

In the end, the desire to remain near anything familiar and safe won out, and Ritsuka did not storm away from Soubi's side.

The Sentoki smiled, but knew better than to comment, merely standing and offering his Sacrifice silent support.

Then Artemis stood and started outlining his idea for getting them back home. Though the plan, according to him, could not be completed without more information, Ritsuka would go with Holly to the Lower Elements, the home of all fairy-kind, as he could not be seen Aboveground with ears and tail like that. Soubi would go with Ritsuka, though that was more a concession than something useful, as Artemis knew the man would not be separated from his charge.

Once Artemis and his mother returned home, the two dimension-travelers could come to his house, and they would go over _everything_ they could remember about how they had gotten to this world.

Simplistic, but effective enough for the moment.

"If Ritsuka does not wish it…" Soubi said quietly, seeing his Sacrifice's hesitation.

Ritsuka shook his head, ears tilted in resigned irritation, "No, he's probably right. We'll go with Short-san."

Holly winced at the address, respectful as it might be. "Holly, please, not Short-san."

Ritsuka flicked an ear in acknowledgement, nodding slightly.

"Then it would be best if you went to the Lower Elements immediately. The sooner you leave, the lower the chance of your being observed." Artemis' voice was quick and businesslike, the words in English.

With Ritsuka's agreement, Soubi called on his own abilities to initiate a Battle-Zone. By walking in that extra dimension, they could pass through anywhere unseen—although it was difficult to bring the fey with them, her innate magic did make it possible.

Holding a Zone over such a distance would have been nearly impossible, even for the expert Fighter, but _moving_ a smaller Zone with them worked remarkably well, though it was still difficult. Soubi made a mental note of that, in case he ever needed to do something similar again.

As soon as they left the area where humans might see them, Soubi released his hold over the Zone and the three found themselves jarred back into the world in a fashion Ritsuka had never before experienced, the transition having been kept gentle and smooth for his sake before.

Suddenly far more tired than he'd expected, Soubi stumbled.

Cat ears flattened against Ritsuka's head in alarm, tail lashing with agitation as he moved to steady the Fighter, "Soubi!?"

"Daijoubu, Ritsuka," Soubi smiled slightly, resisting the urge to ruffle the boy's hair and tickle those fuzzy ears. "I am all right."

If it were possible, cat ears flattened further and violet eyes sparked with worry and rage, slipping back into Japanese. "Don't lie to me!"

"Gomen nasai, Ritsuka," Soubi responded in kind, "I am merely tired."

"It's safe to rest, here," Holly stated, also in Japanese, knowing well how tiring magical works could be and unable to fathom how much energy it must have taken to transport them all through a separate realm—something she hadn't ever imagined was _possible._

"Thank you," Ritsuka accepted the implied offer on his Sentoki's behalf.

Soubi smiled.

_xxxx_

Artemis preceded Butler back to the path to where his mother waited, mind already working in overdrive making and discarding hundreds of plans. He needed to get back to the Fowl manor, but find a way to cut the trip short that would not upset his mother.

He also needed a way to unobtrusively disappear for some time afterwards.

So…

He wouldn't leave Butler behind, of course. The bodyguard would hardly be separated from him for more than a few minutes at a time, and even then it was with reluctance, so his mother would not worry about him going on his own.

Though Artemis was glad to have his mother back, he had forgotten what it was like to have a parent to answer to, long having been master of the house. It was… strange… to have to worry about what another would think of what he said or did. Juliet and Butler were both subordinates, but his mother was most definitely _not._

He shook off that train of thought, as it did not aid his planning.

"Butler," his voice held the tone the elite bodyguard recognized as the beginning of either brilliance or trouble.

Occasionally both.

"This is what I'm going to need you to do…"

_xxxx_

_This is proof that I haven't given up on this story, though there was a long, long break between chapters. I'd apologize, but I can't guarantee it won't happen again. I've decided not to explain all of Artemis Fowl in this chapter, as that doesn't really fit with the plot, but it shouldn't be needed in the long run._


End file.
